Your DNA Ethnicity

So, you've got your DNA results back, and the ethnicity estimate is probably the first thing that grabs your eye – all those percentages and colourful maps! It's basically the company's best guess at where your ancestors came from, based on comparing your DNA to groups of people with deep roots in different parts of the world.

My DNA Ethnicity. Ancestry.co.uk April 2025.

It’s accurate too - 91% Scotland, 9% England.

Here's how it works:

If your results say "25% Sweden & Denmark," it means that 25% of the DNA they tested in you looks most similar to the genetic patterns they've got for folks from Sweden and Denmark.

But here's the thing: these regions are based on genetic groups, not always on where countries are today. People have moved around a lot over time, so DNA from one area can pop up in people living somewhere else now. Also, some companies like AncestryDNA try to give you a bit more detail by showing broader "regions" (going back a long way, like over 20 generations) and more recent "communities" or "journeys" (maybe 5-20 generations ago), which can sometimes pinpoint things down to a county.

Now, it's really important to remember that these ethnicity estimates are just that – estimates. They're not a 100% accurate record of your ancestry. How good they are depends a lot on how big and varied the company's groups of people are, and how clever their DNA-comparing technology is. If your ancestors come from places that the company knows a lot about (like Europe for major US companies), the results tend to be more specific. If they come from less-studied places, it's harder to get precise results.

Also, those small percentages (often under 5%, but sometimes higher) can sometimes be just statistical "noise" – random variations – and not real ancestry. They might even change when the company updates its data. And, your ethnicity estimate can be different if you test with a different company because they all have their own ways of doing things.

So, what's the point of ethnicity estimates for family history?

Well, they give you a broad overview of your deep ancestry. If you see a big, unexpected percentage, it might suggest a family line you didn't know about, which is worth digging into. But you've got to remember that your genetic ancestry isn't the same as your cultural identity. Just because your DNA says you're from a certain place doesn't mean you automatically share the culture of the people who lived there way back when.

While ethnicity estimates are often what gets people excited about DNA testing, the DNA match list is where the real genealogical gold is.  Matches are actual biological relatives that you can trace using traditional records, while ethnicity estimates are a broader, more ancient, and less precise picture.  That’s the topic for another blog post another day!